Feed Cabin of World's Largest Radio Telescope Finishes Preliminary Test in Southwest China
CCTV+
Published on Jun 30, 2016
The feed cabin has undergone a preliminary performance test in southwest China's Guizhou Province after construction on the main body structure of the world's largest single-dish radio telescope FAST almost came to an end.
The 500-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST) has 4,600 triangular panels and is similar in design to the Arecibo Observatory, utilizing a natural hollow (karst) to provide support for the telescope dish.
The 30-ton-heavy feed cabin, the core part of FAST, will be suspended 140 meters above the reflector. It will be driven by cables and servomechanisms in addition to a parallel robot as a secondary adjustable system to move with high precision.
"We have done relevant debugging tests before the feed cabin was moved out of plant to ensure its good performance. After assembling it at the site, we have done another debugging test on the platform. Then we will hoist the cabin and conduct a joint test with cables," said Yao Rui, head of the feed cabin system with FAST project.
Upon completion, the feed cabin will be hoisted up and down to receive air waves by cables from six tower supports with height of about a hundred meters built in the hills around the depression.
"If we compare FAST to a huge eye for watching the sky, the feed cabin is its pupil that helps the eye focus so that we can see more clearly," Yao said.
Construction on the FAST project began in March 2011 with an investment of 700 million yuan and is scheduled for completion by September 2016.
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link to CCTV news report of the lifting of the feed cabin (in Chinese/Mandarin) ->
[新闻直播间]贵州平塘 世界最大射电望远镜主体工程即将完工:核心装置馈源舱升舱调试_CCTV节目官网-CCTV-13_央视网(cctv.com)